A young woman who was diagnosed with a brain tumour after attributing facial numbness to her eating disorder (ED) has taken to TikTok to help raise awareness of the disease.
Lauren Boon, from Peterborough, was diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma in December 2023.
The 23-year-old said: “I developed an eating disorder in 2020 when I was 19. I was under medical supervision for this and mentioned my symptoms. The doctor said it’s not something they had ever come across. I put it down to a sign of needing to eat something, in relation to maybe low blood pressure and low heart rate.”
Lauren overcame her ED in 2023 but the numbness persisted and an MRI revealed a lesion on her brain.
She posted her first video under the handle ‘diaryoflaurenx’ weeks before she had an operation to remove the tumour in January, that left her with 25 staples in her head. Her content has been seen by tens of thousands of people.
She said: “I’m sharing my brain tumour journey on TikTok, including all appointments, treatment, scans and results. People have been shocked to find out I have a brain tumour and have shared their own experiences with me. It makes the fact that one in three people knows someone affected by a brain tumour so real.”
Months after brain surgery, Lauren defied the odds to graduate in May with a Master’s in Eating Disorders and Clinical Nutrition at University College London (UCL).
Lauren: “Navigating medical appointment, brain scans, results and treatment, I maintained my studies, although I came so close to dropping out. I was so scared that I was going to have a seizure when it came to my exams, Dad travelled with me to London and waited outside the room.”
Now a health and wellbeing coach for Thrive Tribe, Lauren is awaiting more news following an inconclusive scan in April. Despite this, she recently completed our 200K in May Your Way challenge to fund vital research into this devastating disease.
Lauren said: “I’m frustrated and surprised at the lack of investment funding that goes into brain tumour research. There is no one set of symptoms or one size fits all when it comes to treatment. If we are to discover kinder treatment options and find a cure for this disease, we need greater investment into research.”
To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Lauren’s challenge, please visit: www.facebook.com/donate/1405613320071971/
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